HL Deb 22 February 1972 vol 328 cc395-7
THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF LISTOWEL)

My Lords, I beg to move that this Report be now considered.

Moved, That the Report be now considered.—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.

The Committee's Report was as follows:

1. COMPANION TO THE STANDING ORDERS AND GUIDE TO THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE HOUSE

The Committee have considered and approved the proof of the new "Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords" and recommend that the House should authorise the Clerk of the Parliaments to publish it in that form and lay it on the Table of the House.

2. THE PREVIOUS QUESTION

The Committee have reviewed the procedure of the Previous Question as described on page 57 of the 1963 edition of the Companion. They observe that the procedure is complicated and is not readily understood by the House; that the Previous Question is liable to be confused with the Closure, although the Previous Question has a different purpose—namely that the House should not reach a decision on the Question before it; and finally, that it gives rise to anomalies of voting, since a Lord who moves the Previous Question has, in order to achieve his object, to vote NOT CONTENT On the Question "whether the Question on the original Motion be now put" For these reasons the Committee consider that the purpose of the Previous Question would be better and more intelligibly achieved by the motion "That the House do proceed to the next business". Accordingly, they recommend that for the passage on the Previous Question on page 57 of the present edition of the Companion there should be substituted the following:—

"The 'Next Business' Motion

A Lord who considers it undesirable that the House should record an opinion on a Motion that has been moved may, at any time during the course of the debate, move

'That the House do proceed to the next business'

It is desirable that notice should, if possible, be given. A 'Next Business' Motion supersedes the original Motion before the House and, if it is agreed to, the Question on the original Motion is not put, and the debate ends. If it is disagreed to, the debate on the original Motion may be resumed and the Question is put in the usual way.

The 'Next Business' Motion is debatable and, since it cannot be debated without reference to the original Motion, the subject matter of both Motions may be debated together. It should be distinguished from the Closure—'That the Question be now put'—which is not debatable (and so requires an immediate conclusion) and which, if carried. compels the House at once to come to a decision on the original Motion.

The 'Next Business' Motion is not admitted on an amendment; though, after an amendment has been agreed to, it may be moved on the original Motion as amended. It may not be moved in any Committee of the House.

This Motion has replaced the older procedure known as the Previous Question."

3. PROCEDURE FOR HOLDING SHORT DEBATES ON WEDNESDAYS

The Committee have considered the procedure for holding short Wednesday debates on an experimental basis until Whitsun, and make the following recommendations to the House:—

  1. (a) East such debate should last not more than two-and-a-half hours; allowance should be made for interruptions to the debate, e.g. for Ministerial Statements;
  2. (b) Adequate time should be allowed for the reply from the Government Front-Bench (and for the Opposition, if they so desire) and for the Mover in reply. Since, however, the debate has a fixed time limit, it is desirable that the period of the winding-up speeches should be kept to a minimum;
  3. (c) At the end of the time allowed, the Clerk at the Table should rise and bow to the Lord on the Woolsack. Thereupon, the Lord on the Woolsack should inquire of the mover of the Motion whether he desires the leave of the House to withdraw his Motion; if not, or if leave is withheld, he should put the Question to the House forth-with;
  4. (d) Lords should be allowed to place one Motion only in Part II of "No Day Named" for the period of the experiment; during which any Lord who had been chosen once would be debarred from competing again; and
  5. (e) The responsibility for drawing up the Speaker's List for such debates should be the same as for other debates in consultation with the mover of the Motion.

4. PRIVATE NOTICE QUESTIONS ON FRIDAYS AND ON OTHER DAYS WHEN THE HOUSE SITS BEFORE ONE P.M.

The Committee recommend that any Private Notice Question should be submitted to the Leader of the House before 10 a.m. on days when the House sits before One p.m.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

My Lords, I beg to move that this Report be agreed to.

Moved, That the Report be agreed to.—(The Earl of Listowel.)

On Question, Motion agreed to.